The Plague Ship
by elfmaiden4legs
Summary: Set during the events of 'The Examination for Lefttennant', Horatio returns after weeks of quantne at sea and Pellew reflects...


**The Plague Ship**

**Hey all,**

**I know it's been a while since I submitted a story here, let alone a Hornblower one, but this was just begging to be written. I hope you enjoy what you read in any case... and as usual please don't forget to submit a REVIEW as I do appreciate them. :D**

Captain Pellew stood on deck starring blankly out to sea, but what comfort was this vast expanse of salt water to offer him now when the life of one of his best officers lay in such pitiful question, and those of a quarter of his crew? In the past, as an experienced officer, having served most of his life in His Majesty's Royal Navy Pellew had witnessed the loss of many good men, whether in battle or through sickness and disease, though it was something which he found no man capable of quite accustomising himself to, even after so many years of service, feeling the pain for each and every one of them. However he had always in the past found solace and managed to escape under the masque of what he himself understood to be his duty, and therefore what could only be perceived as being a life so far dominated by what was right and true.

This was a time of war, and as such you had to accept that men would be lost… though this time things felt different.

The choice had not been his to make the day he had set the young acting Lefttennant Hornblower ff under the shroud of preserving and delivering supplies to Gibraltar, with the black cloud of plague hanging over his head and the men now placed under his young if not already well established competent command. Yet the young Midshipman had known his duty, towards his men, his ship, and even as he stood in deep and contemplative though Pellew realised what he had grown to recognise a long time before now, his Captain… and ever resilient and resourceful as he knew him to be the Captain had hoped that masqueing the true gravity of the situation would somehow give the young Hornblower especially strength and will enough to fight if the occasion arose to do so.

Although deep down in his heart he knew that if any man aboard the ship which he had now close to a month since watched gracefully sail away from his succumbed there would be nothing anyone could do for victims of the dreaded plague, and if they weren't there waiting for them in port at Gibraltar by the time they arrived they were surely lost.

It was understood and embraced by all men in His Majesty's Royal Navy that battle brought with it a very real and ever present risk to life, but the greatest fear which stirred with the hearts of most men was that inspired by the threat of disease, for which there could be no relief, and rarely could a successful cure be sought… the mot terrible of all being and feared of which was plague.

Captain Pellew had never had a son, having never had a lady to bear him any children… but he had recognised something special stirring within the young Hornblower's soul, since close to the day when he had first set foot upon the decks of his ship, and had sworn then to nurture whatever he could in the still essentially vulnerable seventeen year old, who's greatest strength and asset even at this tender age (when most young men were still trying to find their way in a world where nothing was ever simple, or as black and white as it initially appeared ) had turned out to be his bravery and unrivalled courage.

As it was he could not even begin to imagine such strength of character crushed so readily, and had ay awake many a night struggling not o dwell for too long upon what the young man might even now very well be going through. As Captain of the _Indefatigable_ his sense of duty towards his king, his country, and her people was unquestionable, his affection for his ship a powerful pull reinforcing his bond to the sea, his respect for his men essential in maintaining harmony within the ranks… and his education both rife with academic knowledge but more importantly of the trials of life itself had taught him much about the world, some of which he had no doubt would have given him a great deal less to concern himself over had he been as blissfully ignorant as some.

He knew all about the painful swellings afflicting the body, oozing and secreting contaminated puss and blood, the headaches, the fever, the stench of infection which overwhelmed the ship and her crew, infecting anyone unfortunate enough to breathe in the poisonous air. But he could not bring himself to conceive that such a fate was what lay in store for Mr Hornblower.

…and so it was as he stood on deck that the jubilant cries of his crew suddenly disrupted his trail of thought, drawing him away from his restless contemplation, and reminding him of more pressing practical issues needing to be seen to in the more imminent future. They would be docking in Gibraltar any day now and there was no doubt in Pellew's mind that whoever remained of the _Indefatigable's_ already disheartened crew were going to need supplies from somewhere if he was not to loose the remaining half of his men to starvation and disease during the next leg of their voyage.

He was by no means a short tempered man but with the odds seeming to be so heavily stacked against a man so distinguished in his Majesty's Royal Navy, a man whom he had himself witnessed time and time again prove himself more than adequately suited to the British Navel Forces, and whim he would already rank amongst many of Britain's finest officers despite his youth and comparative inexperience, his tempers were somewhat raw, and it was with this that he abandoned his current position and made move to join with the rest of his men.

"What is the meaning of this commotion?" He demanded as he stepped up to the forecastle deck.

Lefttennant Bracegirdle, who seemed to be the only one to hear his Captain's question over the raucous cries of the other men, grinned broadly as he directed his commanding officers attention towards the cause of the crew's buoyancy. "That sir!" He cried.

Pellew allowed his sight to wander in the direction to which the Lefttennant stood indicating for a moment and frowned as he observed the surprising form of the worn and weathered frigate in front of him, sailing almost parallel to the _Indefatigable's _impressive form.

…But it was the sight of the figure standing dutifully and to attention at the forefront of the main deck which caught at his heartstrings, heading a crowd of men. Face slightly pink, even from this distance, from the intense heat of a climate he was not himself naturally accustomed to, straw hat casting a healthy shadow over his youthful features.

"Good heavens." Pellew exclaimed, acknowledging his thoughts out loud as even from this distance the young Acting Lefttennant's eyes met with the gaze of his Captain and both men greeted each other with a subtle salute, the young Hornblower grasping the brim of his straw hat respectfully as Pellew reached to grip his cap, Lefttennant Bracegirdle noticing the bemused smile appearing upon his superior's face.

It was obvious to all who caught a glimpse of their Captain's expression in that moment that he had not expected the young Hornblower to make it through the proceeding few weeks.

Indeed Lefttennant Bracegirdle had himself expressed the view quite openly that the young Acting Lefttennant and his men were surely already dead as he had brought news to them of the outbreak which they had spent the best part of the previous few hours in close proximity of.

But as it would appear Mr Hornblower certainly seemed to be made of stronger stuff than most, he had overcome his own fear and insecurity, battling obstacles whilst in command of men. Though Bracegirdle now thought privately to himself as the straggling members of the remaining crew gradually began to file away, the greatest challenge was yet to come.

Captain Pellew stood on deck waiting to receive the long awaited and much anticipated supplies which the young Midshipman's return had promised to bring… the examination for Lefttannant was scheduled to take place the following day at Admiralty House, and no doubt Mr Hornblower would as usual not fail in disappoint in rising to the occasion.

**_End_**


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